Carson City — The joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees on Saturday approved budget amendments to the governor’s office account that reduced general fund salary authority for non‑classified positions and approved staff authority to make technical adjustments. The committees also asked staff to draft a bill to change the treatment of the state’s grant-matching account.

LCB fiscal analyst Kathy Crockett presented the governor’s office budget and described a budget amendment (A254311000) that revised funding for non‑classified staff, removed unallocated salary funding, reallocated operating costs to standard categories, and changed the funding source for some positions previously paid from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The amendment reduced general‑fund salary authority from the original base of $3.4 million to approximately $2.9 million per year for 24 positions and produced net general‑fund savings of roughly $610,000 over the biennium compared with the original submission. The committees approved the amendment on a motion by Assemblymember Monroe Moreno, seconded by Senator Winn; the motion carried.

The committee also discussed the Governor’s Office of Federal Assistance and the Nevada Grant Matching Program, which is funded through the grant‑matching account. Fiscal staff told the committee that current statute (NRS 223.492) requires the grant‑matching account to revert to the general fund at the end of odd‑numbered fiscal years, which can reduce the program’s effectiveness because federal grant award timing can lag the state budget cycle. The committee instructed staff to draft legislation to amend NRS 223.492 to allow the grant‑matching account to carry forward rather than revert. Assemblymember Monroe Moreno moved to request the bill draft; Senator Winn seconded, and the motion passed.

Other actions in the governor’s budgets included approval of other closing items recommended by fiscal staff across governor’s office accounts (including the Governor’s Washington Office and the Governor’s Mansion maintenance budgets). In the mansion budget, the committee approved eliminating a long‑vacant 0.64 FTE part‑time position for general fund savings and declined a proposed budget amendment to increase salary funding for the two remaining full‑time mansion positions; that motion passed as stated in the transcript.

Why it matters: The governor’s office non‑classified positions are funded outside the classified service, and the committee’s amendment narrows general‑fund support by removing unallocated salary authority. The requested statutory change to NRS 223.492 would alter how the state preserves matching funds for competitive federal grants.

What fiscal staff said: Kathy Crockett explained the shift of one contractor to a state position, reallocation of operating costs, and changes that resulted in roughly $304,492 in FY26 and $306,396 in FY27 in net general‑fund savings compared with the original recommendation. The fiscal analyst also described the grant‑matching account’s reversion rule and how it could disincentivize agencies from seeking matches if funds revert before federal awards are final.

Next steps: Fiscal staff will prepare a bill draft to amend NRS 223.492 and will make technical adjustments to closing documents as authorized by the committees.